Picture wire

osgood · Post by **osgood** » Mon 18 Feb, 2008 11:01 pm

http://www.wallbuddies.com/

I get em sent straight from USA!

Not your average framer · Mon 18 Feb, 2008 11:06 pm

Hi Pat,

Ah, the famous Brunell, now that what you call an engineer!

Spit · Post by **Spit** » Mon 18 Feb, 2008 11:08 pm

osgood wrote:http://www.wallbuddies.com/

I get em sent straight from USA!

Well I'm not having much luck 'server not found'.........

osgood · Post by **osgood** » Mon 18 Feb, 2008 11:09 pm

Steve,
The site works perfectly from here. Must be a problem at your end!

Spit · Post by **Spit** » Mon 18 Feb, 2008 11:10 pm

Ah, on there now.... they look a bit lethal......

Roboframer · Post by **Roboframer** » Mon 18 Feb, 2008 11:24 pm

These are the things I bought - the difference between them and wallbuddies is the flanged circular bits (which screw on the wall with the rawlplugs) - the hole is off-centre, which means you have some vertical adjustment as well as lateral.

Maybe the problem was the patent - wasn't their invention TO patent!

Wonder if the company is still around somewhere - would beat having to buy from the states - you'd have to add import tax, handling charge and VAT. Buying from the states can be a bad experience.

osgood · Post by **osgood** » Mon 18 Feb, 2008 11:29 pm

Lion might be willing to look at importing them???

Roboframer · Post by **Roboframer** » Mon 18 Feb, 2008 11:42 pm

Robo calling Martin - Robo calling Martin - come in Martin.

I'll have 100 sets please.

Mary Case GCF · Post by **Mary Case GCF** » Tue 19 Feb, 2008 12:34 am

osgood wrote: If I couldn't talk someone out of screw eyes (devilish things from a long bygone era) by explaining the benefits of better methods I would rather they went elsewhere.

It is a rare case indeed that I am unable to convince a customer about the hazards of using crap in their frame!

[

All well and good, Ormond, but the customer produced rules for the exhibition which clearly stated screw rings and cord. The instructions even told me they had to be positioned 2 inches from the top of the frame. That one I chose to ignore. I have to admit, though, that this was in the early days when I was young (cough, cough ) and naiive. I haven't since challenged any art group over their policy, but from now on I will. Who's the framer here anyway? Customers - watch out!

quote]I do not subscribe to "the customer is always right". [/quote]

I'm afraid this one is ingrained in me from the 60s when I was 15 and worked on a Saturday in the drapery department of Woolworths. We were always told " the customer is always right, even when they're wrong" Maybe that's why Woolies is a shadow of its former self

[/quote]

Mary Case GCF · Post by **Mary Case GCF** » Tue 19 Feb, 2008 12:35 am

Those dratted quotes strike again

Spit · Post by **Spit** » Tue 19 Feb, 2008 1:37 am

Mary Case GCF wrote:I'm afraid this one is ingrained in me from the 60s when I was 15 and worked on a Saturday in the drapery department of Woolworths. We were always told " the customer is always right, even when they're wrong" Maybe that's why Woolies is a shadow of its former self

Well, at the time that attitude was right - nowadays the customer doesn't care what they get as long as it is cheap.

Times change, not always for the better.

Mary Case GCF · Post by **Mary Case GCF** » Tue 19 Feb, 2008 8:14 am

You telling me I'm a dinosaur, Steve?

I think I'd like to be a Velociraptor - mad, bad and dangerous to know

Not your average framer · Tue 19 Feb, 2008 8:45 am

Spit wrote:nowadays the customer doesn't care what they get as long as it is cheap.

Some of us don't do cheap, it ain't the way to earn a living. Small margins easily become a loss, if a job takes to long or something needs re-doing. My experience is that if you don't compromise on quality or workmanship, you can charge a fair and appropiate price and get plenty of repeat business.

Let the cheapskates go somewhere else. They'll still complain about the price, (even when they got it cheap) and the quality too! Cheapskates don't know what they are talking about, but can still damage your reputation by their un-informed complaints.

They only live for the next cheap deal and something to complain about. I let them complain about someone else's work and let someone else work for peanuts.

Roboframer · Post by **Roboframer** » Tue 19 Feb, 2008 2:55 pm

Roboframer wrote: .................... wallbuddies .................

Wonder if the company is still around somewhere ...

Duh - why didn't I think of digging out the old invoice & ringing them up!

Just did that - they are still going strong - here's the details

WRR Pedley & Co Ltd
Ann St
Willenhall
W Midlands WW13 1EW

01902 366060

If they have not gone up since I last ordered they are £1 a set, which is what you see above plus an instruction leaflet and bags - you have to bag the sets up yourself.

There was £12 carriage on 50 sets + Vat; a 2.35 markup made them £3.42 - we called it £3:99.

The Jolly Good Framer #1 · Tue 19 Feb, 2008 3:25 pm

Polyester Cord Vs Super Softstrand (SSS)

After reading the above posts and doing a bit of research on the internet I have come to this objective conclusion.

Cord and SSS are both strong enough to do the job.
Neither cord or SSS corrodes.
Both cord and SSS are new improved versions of older more traditional materials.
Both are easy to use.
The cost for each is comparable.

The only differences I can see are subjective.
For instance:- I prefer cord as I like the look of it and I find it easier and quicker to use. I also find that it is easier to adjust than SSS. Others have made the point that they prefer the look of SSS.

So my conclusions is that polyester cord and Super softstrand are as good as each other.

Roboframer · Post by **Roboframer** » Tue 19 Feb, 2008 3:51 pm

But cord does have some stretch - Lion do two types 'low stretch' and 'cheap'

I used cord until last year and until a year or so before that used to take pride in just how tight I could get it - this is something I framed a long time ago - and am not too proud of - off a wall at home.

The cord is polyester - advertised as low stretch - well it's just as well it had some - it's almost the correct slackness now!!

It yellows too - I put the white paper over the cord because that's how white the cord once was - the photo doesn't really show just how yellow the cord is - almost brown.

Stainless steel is stainless steel - once I tried SSS I wondered where it had been all my life and I'd recommend anyone that uses cord exclusively to give it a go - I'd be surprised if you went back to cord.

Mary Case GCF · Post by **Mary Case GCF** » Tue 19 Feb, 2008 3:54 pm

home early today John?

Roboframer · Post by **Roboframer** » Tue 19 Feb, 2008 3:59 pm

Half an afternoon off - going to get some keys cut - the garage key has about one more turn before it snaps - then I won't be able to get me bike out to cycle to work, which I'll be doing from tomorrow

The Jolly Good Framer #1 · Tue 19 Feb, 2008 4:36 pm

Just had a look at a picture I framed 28th April 1999 so that makes it just under 9 years old.
The cord has yellowed a bit but not a lot. In fact that might just be dust.

Top - New cord
Bottom - 9 year old cord

If you look in the lion catalogue you will see that the Polyester cord has a 12% stretch at the full breaking strain. In the case of the no.2 cord that I use most of the time, that’s 150kg! So on my frame that weighs 2.7kg the stretch is negligible after nearly 9 years.

Roboframer · Post by **Roboframer** » Tue 19 Feb, 2008 4:39 pm

Maybe I had a heavier picture - maybe yours is in a smoke free environment.

Have you tried SSS?